Raven flicked her tail gleefully and quickly but quietly slunk out of the small tunnel and into a huge main tunnel. This one was as wide as five foxes and as tall as at least seven. Even two-legs would be impressed! Raven looked to each side, pondering on which way to go. One way seemed to lead farther into the mountains, so she headed towards the one with a light in the end.
She was kind of surprised no other cats were around, and was always on the look-out for Athena or Shadow, the cat Athena had gone to speak with. Shivers ran down her spine every time she thought of the mysterious cat she had only heard of.
Strange how the seeds of fear start to grow already before they have been properly planted.
Raven thought as she trotted down the huge cave. A lot of light came down from gaps in the roof and the exit ahead, so she could clearly see everything. Not that there was much to see. The walls were simply ragged stone, the roof curved in an elegant arch like with most caves. Yet despite all the lights and space Raven felt a growing unease. She felt cold, and it had nothing to do with the temperature outside. It felt as if eyes were watching her from every shadow she passed, as if other pelts brushed against hers.
Raven started to walk faster, until she was running towards the light. She was prepared to leap out of the cave and into the snow but she skidded to an abrupt halt just before she reached the edge. In front of her was a small ledge the same width as the cave, but ahead of that was a steep plunge into nothing. In fact, a cat would fall almost 200 meters before they reached the ground below. Raven swallowed and walked a little into the snow and sunlight. She swallowed hard and looked back over her shoulder to the cave. She didn't like the thought of going back in at all, and some cat was sure to have raised alarm by now.
But she had no choice. Slowly Raven turned around with her tail dragging along the ground. The shadows closed in on her quickly now that she was heading the other way. Every stone looked the same and Raven found it impossible to see how close she was to the smaller tunnel. So she stuck to the side until she found the small hole in the wall. The sensation of being watched came back and once again fur brushed against her. Voices whispered something inaudible into her ears, and even though she didn't understand Raven knew it was nothing good. The voices were hoarse and snake-like, as if they were hissing to her.
Then she heard voices up ahead. Raven froze and clung to the shadows desperately. It was neither Athena, Flash, nor Bloom. This seemed to be a tom and a she-cat, followed by three cats the age of younger apprentices. The tom was mostly black but around his paler belly you could see he had some faint spots. The she-cat was pure white with long fur and icy blue eyes. She looked directly terrifying. Following was a flame colored tom, a silver tabby tom, and a silver she-cat. They were chatting and snickering. Raven squeezed against the wall but it was no use.
Five pairs of eyes turned to face her, and the white she-cat narrowed hers. Raven unsheathed her claws and prepared herself for battle. But when the tom spoke it wasn't threatening, but with authority.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be out training or planning against the Clans?"
Raven chose her words with care. The tom and she-cat were definitely in charge, but the younger cats...?
"Yeah, I know. Going now." she said with a slight edge to her voice. "What about them? Standing here won't do them any good." she flicks her tail at the three cats.
"They are going for some special training with me and Ghost." the tom replies. "But you're right; standing here doesn't help any of us. Let's go!"
All five cats trot away and Raven breathes a sigh of relief. She had played her cards correctly, and at the same time gained some information.
